Means for electroplating



" y 4, 1939- F. A. HATCH MEANS FOR ELECTROPLATING Filed Sept. 27, 935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor, Frank AJEMLZZ,

July 4, 1939. F HATCH 2,164,710

IEANS FOR ELECTROPLATING Filed Sept. 27, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor; flunk AJYatciz,

64AM 1W2,

Atqys.

y 1939- F. A. HATCH BANS FOR ELECTROPLATING Filed Sept. 2'7, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor, Frank A. fi a'tc/z, y i i m July 4, 1939. F. A. HATCH BEANS FOR ELECTROPLATING Filed Sept. 2'7, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor; flank AJYaLck, 6 a J A ttyfi.

Patented July 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to D. A. Gurney Company, Whitman, Mass corporation of Massachusetts 'Application September :1, 1935. Serial No. 4am in Claims. (Cl. 204-11) This invention pertains to the manufacture of electroplated articles, for example, tacks, nails, buttons, jewelry or the like, and relates more particularly to an improved apparatus for 5 and method of plating such articles in a continuous operation.

Heretofore one common practice has been to plate such articles in batchesa certain quantity of the articles to be plated being first loaded 10 into an appropriate cage or other receptacle which is then lowered into an electroplating bath. During the plating operation the articles must be constantly agitated to insure a uniform plating action and after the plating is completed 15 the cage or receptacle must be lifted out of the bath and the articles dumped out and a fresh charge introduced. However, this method is very wasteful of time, since the time consumed in loading, lowering, raising, and unloading the 20 cage is all lost so far as the actual plating operation is concerned, and this lost machine time, as well as the cost of almost constant attendance, must be reckoned in counting the cost of production.

25 It has also previously been proposed to plate such articles in a continuous operation, as by as have found in practice that it also has certain disadvantages. For example, if the plating is done in a cylinder, drum, or other container having a continuous periphery, the articles are entirely hidden from view from the time they 40 enter the drum until they emerge, and are ac-.

cessible only from the end of the drum if at 'all, during the plating. Thus the operator is unable to observe the progress of the plating operation, or in the event that the ilow of articles from the 45 drum is interrupted, to determine or remedy the cause of such interruption except by stopping the machine and removing the drum from the plating bath. Moreover, it is not altogether easy properly to' support the cathode elements with- 5 in a drum oi any substantial length, nor to determine whether the cathode elements are always making proper contact with the articles flowing through the drum. It isalso substam tially necessary, when using a, drum-like contamentoarrangealloftheanodesmitsideof the drum by reason of the difficulty of supporting them, together with the cathodes inside of the drum. However, such exterior arrangement of the anodes necessitates the employment of a drum having walls which are pervious to the electrolyte, but this it not altogether easy since the drum surface must also be capable of with standing the scouring or abrasive action of the moving metallic articles.

with the obfict of improving upon such prior methods of procedure and of providing apparatus useful in carrying out such improved method, the present invention provides for a substantially continuous plating operation, but at the same time permits the process to be carried out in such a way that the articles are always visible to the operator during plating. In accordance with the invention, the guiding element along which the articles move during the plating, may permissiblybe of a material which is impervious to the electrolyte, and thus may easily be made of material of a character appropriate to furnish the desired mechanical strength and resistance to abrasion. Moreover, the anodes and cathodes may readily be disposed inwhatever relation experience shows to be best for efllcient action. In attaining the above object, the articles tobe plated are preferably conveyed or caused to move along an open trough-like container, guideway, or support disposed within the electrolytic bath, such support being of any appropriate material for the purpose. Since the support or guideway is open at its top, the articles are at substantially all times visible and the cathodes and anodes may be suspended from above the guideway if desired so as to depend into the latter to any desired distance and at any desired point. Preferably the support or guideway is inclined so that the articles tend to move by gravity from one end of the guideway to the 40 other; and to facilitate such movement and in particular to agitate the articles while so moving, thereby to insure uniform plating, the support, guideway, or trough is oscillatedabout a longitudinally extending axis. Further to insure thorough agitation of the articles as the result of such oscillation the inner surface of the guideway or trough may be longitudinally ribbed or corrugated or of faceted or angular peripheral contour. r Other objects and advantages of the invention, together with details of a preferred embodiment thereof may be made manifest in the following description and by reference to the annexed drawings in which Y receptacle.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section illustrating one desirable embodiment of apparatus useful in the practice of the present invention;

Fig. 1' is a fragmentary vertical section showing details of an anode support;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1, with certain parts omitted;

Fig. 2' is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 2, but to much smaller scale, illustrating a slight modification;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantiallyon the same plane as Fig. 1, but to larger scale, and showing details of the mechanism for delivering the articles into the upper end of the guideway trough;

Fig. 4 is an end elevation partly in section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section, illustrating details of construction of the trough-like guideway;

Figs. 5*, 5 and 5 are sections transversely of such trough-like guideway, illustrating modified constructions Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view showing the delivery end of the trough-like guideway;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary vertical section through the tank containing the electrolytic bath, such section being taken substantially on the line of Fig. 2;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view of the driving connections of the apparatus:

Fig. 9 is a vertical diametrical view of one of the pulley wheels forming a part of the drive mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating preferred mechanism for oscillating the trough-like guideway;

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the mechanism of Fig. 10 viewed from the opposite side;

Fig. 12 is a section substantially on the line I2 I2 of Fig. 11; and

Fig. 13 is a section, to larger scale, substantially on the line l3-I3 of Fig. 11.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral l designates a tank or receptacle of any appropriate material and here shown as of substantially rectangular, elongate form designed to contain the electrolytic bath 2. This receptacle is open at the top and is designed to receive the container for the articles to be plated. As here illustrated a motor-generator set 2 comprising the motor l and the generator 5 is designed to furnish current for the plating operation-the conductor 8 leading'from the positive pole of the generator and the conductor 1 leading from the negative pole.

A drive shaft 8 is mounted in suitable bearings directly above the tank or receptacle I and with the axis of the shaft substantially in vertical plane of the central longitudinal axis of the This shaft 8 is provided with a drive sprocket 9 (which receives a driving chain as hereinafter more fully described) and adjacent to its opposite ends the shaft 8 is provided with pulleys l and II respectively. These pulleys may, if desired, be of the construction illustrated in Fig. 9 wherein the pulley II is shown as comprising the hub Ill and the spaced side plates III and lll having interposed between them a filler i of wood or any other appropriate material. If desired, the side plates ill and III may be of an insulating material such as hard rubber, for example, and the filler Ill" may likewise be of insulating character so as to avoid possibility of accidental leakage of electrical current through the driving connections. The filler I0 is preferably furnished with a groove in its periphery for the reception of an endless drive belt. Endless belts l2 and I2 embrace the pulleys Ill and II and support and drive pulleys II and I respectively, which are fixedly secured to the container IS. The latter constitutes a support, guideway or conveyor for the articles to be plated as they move through the electrolytic bath.

The container or support I6 is of such character that as the articles move along through the electrolytic bath they are substantially always exposed to view, so that the operator may observe at any time the progress of the plating operation and has ready access to the articles for examining them or for making any adjustments or changes necessary to insure an uninterrupted flow of the articles longitudinally of the container or support. Preferably this support, guideway, container or conveyor It takes the form of an open topped trough having one end higher than the other so that articles deposited in the higher end tend to move under the action of gravity toward the lower end. Such inclination of the trough-like container is readily obtained by making one of the supporting belts, for

example the belt l2, somewhat longer than the other belt.

The trough or container l6 conveniently consists of a series of substantially parallel slats ll (Fig. 5) held in properly assembled relation by means of headers l9 spaced apart and disposed at desirable points longitudinally of the trough. As illustrated in Fig. 5 the pulleys II and I5 are connected to two of these headers IS.

The inner surface or lining of the trough or container preferably consists of a piece of textile fabric 20 (Figs. 5 and 6) such, for example, as canvas, the open nature of the trough proper and the pervious character of the textile liner permitting ready passage of the electrolyte and of the plating current from the outside to the inside of the trough.

Adjacent to that end of the tank or receptacle I wherein the receiving end of the trough I8 is located, there is arranged a framework 22 (Figs. 1. 8 and 4) which supports a hopper 2| in which the articles A (Fig. l) which are to be plated are arranged for automatic delivery to the trough. This hopper 2| may, if desired, be provided with an adjustable valve member or door 2| (Fig. 4) whereby the size of the delivery opening at the bottom of the hopper may be varied at will. Beneath the hopper 2| there is arranged a shaker 23, here shown as a shallow chute pivotally supported at 24 upon an adjustable bracket 25 carried by the frame 22 and having its delivery end 26 disposed within the receiving or upper end of the trough it. Near its delivery end the chute 26 may be provided with a cushion member 21 which may, for example, be of rubber or the like, which rests upon a member 28 (also of rubber, if desired) carried by a shaker bar 29 (Fig. 4) pivotally secured at one end upon a pin 30 carried by the frame 22. The other end of the shaker bar is guided in a suitable slot at the opposite side of the frame. At its central part, the shaker bar 29 is provided with a wear-resistant shoe 3| which engages the toothed periphery of a wheel 32 fixed to a shaft 33. This shaft is mounted in bearings in the frame 22, and at the end opposite that which carries the toothed wheel 22 has mounted for free rotation thereon the pulley 24. This pulley longitudinally of the receptacle I and above and preferably to one side of the latter. This shaft I is provided with a fixed sprocket 31 which receives a sprocket chain passing about a sprock- 4c in et wheel on a shaft driven by a motor 38 through reduction gearing 39 so that the shaft 36 turns at relatively low speed. A clutch 40 (Fig. 3) provided with an actuating handle 4 I is arranged to connect the pulley 34 to the shaft 33 whenever desired, thereby to rotate the toothed wheel 82 and thus vertically oscillate the chute 23, thereby to cause articles which drop into the latter from the hopper to be delivered from the free end of the chute in a substantially continuous stream into the upper end of the trough iii. If desired the toothed wheel 32 may be provided with a click 42 to prevent its reverse rotation.

Within the receptacle I, at a point adjacent to the lower or delivery end of the trough is, there is arranged a bracket 43 (Fig. 1) which carries a pulley II, and upon the upper rim of the tank I there is also arranged a bracket provided with bearings for a shaft 45 having fixed thereon a sprocket wheel 46, and a pulley 41 similar to the pulley I. An inclined conveyor belt 48 embraces the pulleys H and 41, the upper run of this belt being disposed so as to catch articles falling from the lower end of the trough l6 and to elevate them and deliver them above thelevel of the electrolytic bath at a point where they will drop freely from out of the receptacle l. Thesprocket wheel 46 receives a sprocket chain 49 (Fig. l) which embraces a sprocket wheel 46* on the shaft 38 whereby the conveyor belt 48 is I moved slowly in consonance with the feeding of articles into the receiving end of the trough.

eferably a pipe 50 is arranged to convey water del pressure to form a spray designed to wash the articles from off the surface of the conveyor belt I] as the latter passes down about the outer face ofthe pulley I1, and to prevent any of the articles which may still cling to the belt from moving back into the tank, a flexible wiper 5| (Fig. .1) is arranged to contact with the belt adjacent to the point where the latter leaves the pulley ll. Preferably an apron 5| (Figs. 1 and 2) extends downwardly in an inclined direction from this wiper so asto guide the articles which are washed or scraped off of the conveyor. into a box "suitably supported in a washing bath 53 in a receptacle Bl. As fast as the boxes 52 are filled they may be lifted out of the washing bath veyor belt 48. may have clutch means interposed between it and the sprocket 46 so that the drive of the belt may be stopped, for example, while a full box I! is being removed and an empty box put in its place. Thus as indicated in Fig. 2, the shaft 45 may be provided with a clutch 5S actuated by means of a treadle B8 or other convenient device.

The mechanism for actuating the drive shaft 8 is of such character as to impart an oscillatory movement to said shaft and consequently a movement of oscillation to the drum l6. This drive mechanism preferably comprises the sprocket supporting frame, the carriage being adjustable longitudinally of the guide rails 6| by means of an adjusting screw 52, thereby permitting the sprocket chain 58 to be tightened or loosened as desired. Preferably the sprocket wheel 59 is provided with an elongate hub 88 (Fig. 12) which is mounted within the inner ring 84 of a ball The shaft 8 is also supported by the fixed frame comprising the rails 6|. such shaft having fixed thereto the collar 66 (Fig. 13) which fits within the inner member 61 of a ball bearing whose outer ring Bil is fixed within a bracket 69 secured between the rails ill.

The supporting frame also provides a pair of bearings 10 and Il (Fig. 10) in which slides a rod 12 to which is secured a cross head 13 attached by means of a clamp I4 to the upper run of the sprocket chain 58. A connecting rod 15 unites the cross head 13 to a crank pin 16 carried by a crank I1 fixed to a rotating shaft Ii. This shaft 18 (Fig. 8) carries a pulley 19 (Fig. 8) which receives an endless belt embracing a pulley on a drive shaft 8| which may receive power from any suitable-source, and which is continuously driven in one direction. Preferably the crank arm 11 is of adjustable length whereby the travel of the cross head 13 may be varied at will.

If desired, one or both of the pulleys H and I5, forming the driving and suspension means for the trough it, may be furnished with a coaxial annulus l4 (Figs. 5 and 6) preferably of cir-' cular cross section, the periphery of which bears against antifriction rolls 82 supported at opposite sidesof the tank I, thereby to prevent side sway of the drum l6. Likewise, to prevent endwise movement of the drum, an anti-friction abutment roller 83 may engage the end face of the annulus M, such anti-friction abutment being carried by a suitable transverse strut 84. However, the members ll with the abutment and limiting rolls may be omitted, if desired.

The positive conductor 8 from the generator 5 is connected to bus-bars." and 86 (Fig. 2) disposed adjacent to opposite sides of the receptacle l and insulated therefrom. From these busbars heavy anodes ill (Fig. 7) are suspended at suitable intervals so as to depend into the electrolyte at opposite sides of the trough It. If desired, and in order to provide more anode material, particularly directly below the stream of articles moving along the drum. suspension members 88 may be hooked over the bars and 86 and at the lower ends support transverse anode bars 89. Furthermore, in. accordance with the present invention, it is proposed to connect the bus-bars and 86 by means of bridge members 90 (Figs. 2, 7 and 1*) extending transversely across and above the top of the drum. and these bridge members support brackets 9| (Fig. l") which-may be adjusted lengthwise of the bars 90 and held in adjusted position by means of set screws 92. These brackets have vertical holes for the reception of anode suspension rods 93 which are adjustable vertically by means of hand nuts 94 engaging screw threads on the upper parts of the rods and at their lower ends support anodes 95 arranged within the trough l6. Preferably, as shown in Fig. 7. these anodes 95 each consists of a plurality of heavy plates bolted together in spaced relation so as to provide a large surface for contact with the electrolyte.

The negative conductor 1 is connected to a busbar 98 (Fig. 2) supported by and insulated from the receptacle I and in a position substantially above the longitudinal axis of the trough it. From this bus-bar 96 suspension members 91 (Fig. I) extend downwardly into the trough and at their lower ends carry flexible contact members such as the chains 98 constituting the cathode elements of the electroplating system, such chain resting upon the stream of articles flowing along the trough and always making electrical contact therewith.

While the trough construction above described is desirable, it is contemplated that the trough may be made in other ways, for example, as illustrated in Figs. 5', 5 and 5, respectively. Thus as shown in Fig. 5 the trough 99 consists of a series of wooden bars or bars of other material, pervious to the electrolyte and to the electric current, arranged in close juxtaposition and having their inner surfaces individually curved on short arcs so as to produce a longitudinally ribbed effect, as indicated at Mill. When such a trough is rocked or oscillated, the articles are acted upon by these longitudinal ribs so that they are agitated and caused to roll back and forth one on the other thereby exposing fresh surfaces to the electrolyte.

In Fig. 5* another construction is illustrated wherein the trough llii, instead of being substantially cylindrical externally, like the trough 99, is of polygonal contour both externally and internally, so that its interior surface consists of a series of longitudinally extending flat faces .or facets I02. This trough likewise, when oscillated, causes the articles to be agitated as they pass from one flat face to another across the angles of intersection between the faces.

In Fig. 5 another construction is illustrated wherein the trough I03 hasa body portion which may be of any suitable impervious material such, for example, as hard rubb'er, synthetic resin or the like, and which has a lining illl which may, for example, be of soft rubber or other material which is highly resistant to mechanical abrasion. This lining I04 may, if desired, be provided with longitudinally extending corrugations or ribs to assist in agitating articles in the trough. Since the electrolyte can not pass through the wa'ls of this trough, the anodes I05 and Illli are all arranged within the trough, preferably at opposite sides of the cathodes 98, and as close to the stream of articles flowing through the trough as experience shows to be desirable.

Whatever form of trough employed, the oscillation of the trough tends to agitate the articles and cause them to move back and forth transversely across their general path of travel longitudinally of the trough. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the anodes 95 are disposed within the trough, with cathodes 98 at opposite sides of the endmost anodes, and with a group of anodes close together at about the center of the lengths of the trough. Other arrangements of the electrical elements, as well as changes in the mechanical construction involving the employment of equivalent elements, the substitution of materials and the rearrangement of parts are to be regarded as within the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles. said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, an elongate trough disposed within the receptacle, the interior of said trough being substantially unobstructed from end to end, the trough being freely open at its top to expose to view its contents, power driven means for rocking the trough about alongitudinally extending axis, and means for delivering articles into one end of the trough and for receiving articles from the other end of the trough and delivering them from out the receptacle characterized in that the trough is inclined downwardly from the receiving end toward its delivery and whereby the articles are caused to travel longitudinally of the trough under the action of gravity, the trough consisting of a series of parallel bars arranged in such close juxtaposition as to prevent the articles being plated from entering the crevices between them, the inner surfaces of said bars being independently curved on short transverse arcs so as to provide a ribbed surface whereby as the trough is rocked, the articles are caused to move back and forth transversely of the trough.

2. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means fdr delivering the articles substantially continuously into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, open-topped inclined trough of substantially cylindrical cross-sectional contour, into the upper end of which the articles are delivered and along which the articles move in a substantially uninterrupted continuous stream toward the lower end of the trough, a pulley coaxial with said trough and secured to the latter, a driving belt embracing said pulley, means for moving the belt first in one direction and then in the other thereby to oscillate the trough, and means for causing plating current to flow through the articles in the trough.

3. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for elsetrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, opentopped trough disposed within the receptacle and into one end of which the articles are delivered and along which the articles move in a substantially uninterrupted continuous stream toward the other end of the trough, a pair of pulleys secured to the trough adjacent to its opposite ends respectively, belts embracing the pulleys and thereby supporting the trough, and means for moving the belts first in one direction and then in the other.

4. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, openended container disposed within the receptacle and into one end of which the articles are delivered and along which the articles to be plated move in a substantially uninterrupted continuous stream toward its other end, a pair of pulleys secured to the container at spaced points respectively, a drive shaft above the receptacle, spaced electrically insulated pulleys on the drive shaft, endless belts each embracing cheer the pulleys on the drive shaft and one of the pulleys on the container, said belts constituting the sole sup porting means for the container, and means for actuating the drive shaft.

5. Apparatus for use in electroplating small articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles substantially continuously into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, open-topped inclined trough into one end of which the articles are delivered and along which they are caused to move solely by the action of gravity in a substantially uninterrupted continuous stream toward the other end of the trough, a cathode having electrical contact with the articles in the trough, a bridge member extending transversely across the top of the trough, a bracket carried by the bridge member, and a vertically adjustable anode support carried by the bracket.

6. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, opentopped container into one end of which the articles are delivered and along which they are caused to move solely by the action of gravity toward the other end of the container, a cathode having electrical contact with the articles moving along the container, a fixed elongate member bridging the top of the container, a bracket adjustable along the bridge member transversely of the container, a vertically adjustable anode support carried by the bracket, and an anode suspended from the support at a point within the container.

7. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles substantially continuously into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, open-topped, inclined trough into the upper end of which the articles are delivered and along which the articles move in a substantially uninterrupted continuous stream in response to the action of gravity, a pulley secured to the trough, a belt embracing said pulley, an electrically insulated drive pulley also embraced by the belt, a constantly rotating crank, and drive connections operative to transmit movement from the crank to the drive pulley thereby to oscillate the belt first in one direction and then in the other.

8. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles,

said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, opentopped trough into one end of which the articles are delivered, a pulley secured to the trough, a belt embracing the pulley, a drive pulley also embraced by the belt, a rotary crank, a reciprocating cross head, a connecting rod uniting the crank to the cross head, and motion transmitting means operative to translate reciprocating movement of the cross head into oscillatory movement of the drive pulley.

9. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, opentopped, inclined trough into the upper end of which the articles are delivered, a pulley secured to the trough, a belt embracing the pulley, a drive pulley also embraced by the belt, a rotary crank, a drive sprocket coaxial with and fixed to turn with the drive pulley, an idler sprocket spaced from the drive sprocket, a sprocket chain embracing the sprockets, a reciprocating cross head, means attaching the cross head to the chain, and a connecting rod uniting the crank and cross head.

10. Apparatus for use in electroplating small articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, open-ended container within the receptacle, a pair of spaced pulleys secured to the container, endless belts embracing the respective pulleys and constituting supports for the container, one of said belts being longer than the other whereby the container is supported in an inclined position, an anti-friction abutment for the lower end of the container, and means for moving the belts thereby to turn the container.

FRANK A. HATCH.

Patent No. 2, 161;,710.

FRANK A. HATCH. It is hereby certified that the name of the assignse in the above numbered patent was erroneously described and specified as "D. A.

Gurney Company' whereas said name should have been described and specified as D. B.

Gurnoy Company, of Whitman, Massachusetts, as shown by the record of assignments in this office;

a corporation of Massachusetts and that the said,

Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. Signed ani sealed this 22nd day of August, A. D. 1939.

(Seal) Leslie Frazer Acting Commissioner of Patents.

delivered and along which they are caused to move solely by the action of gravity in a substantially uninterrupted continuous stream toward the other end of the trough, a cathode having electrical contact with the articles in the trough, a bridge member extending transversely across the top of the trough, a bracket carried by the bridge member, and a vertically adjustable anode support carried by the bracket.

6. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, opentopped container into one end of which the articles are delivered and along which they are caused to move solely by the action of gravity toward the other end of the container, a cathode having electrical contact with the articles moving along the container, a fixed elongate member bridging the top of the container, a bracket adjustable along the bridge member transversely of the container, a vertically adjustable anode support carried by the bracket, and an anode suspended from the support at a point within the container.

7. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles substantially continuously into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, open-topped, inclined trough into the upper end of which the articles are delivered and along which the articles move in a substantially uninterrupted continuous stream in response to the action of gravity, a pulley secured to the trough, a belt embracing said pulley, an electrically insulated drive pulley also embraced by the belt, a constantly rotating crank, and drive connections operative to transmit movement from the crank to the drive pulley thereby to oscillate the belt first in one direction and then in the other.

8. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles,

said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, opentopped trough into one end of which the articles are delivered, a pulley secured to the trough, a belt embracing the pulley, a drive pulley also embraced by the belt, a rotary crank, a reciprocating cross head, a connecting rod uniting the crank to the cross head, and motion transmitting means operative to translate reciprocating movement of the cross head into oscillatory movement of the drive pulley.

9. Apparatus for use in electroplating articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, opentopped, inclined trough into the upper end of which the articles are delivered, a pulley secured to the trough, a belt embracing the pulley, a drive pulley also embraced by the belt, a rotary crank, a drive sprocket coaxial with and fixed to turn with the drive pulley, an idler sprocket spaced from the drive sprocket, a sprocket chain embracing the sprockets, a reciprocating cross head, means attaching the cross head to the chain, and a connecting rod uniting the crank and cross head.

10. Apparatus for use in electroplating small articles, said apparatus comprising a receptacle for electrolyte, means for delivering the articles into the electrolyte in the receptacle, an elongate, open-ended container within the receptacle, a pair of spaced pulleys secured to the container, endless belts embracing the respective pulleys and constituting supports for the container, one of said belts being longer than the other whereby the container is supported in an inclined position, an anti-friction abutment for the lower end of the container, and means for moving the belts thereby to turn the container.

FRANK A. HATCH.

Patent No. 2, 161;,710.

FRANK A. HATCH. It is hereby certified that the name of the assignse in the above numbered patent was erroneously described and specified as "D. A.

Gurney Company' whereas said name should have been described and specified as D. B.

Gurnoy Company, of Whitman, Massachusetts, as shown by the record of assignments in this office;

a corporation of Massachusetts and that the said,

Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. Signed ani sealed this 22nd day of August, A. D. 1939.

(Seal) Leslie Frazer Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

